


Frostival at the Banther Lodge

by DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: A lot of it is just self indulgent soft cute silliness, Christmas Fluff, Dancing, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Festivals, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Snowball Fight, Theres a lot of characters but it's Rayllum centric because of course it is, This is the kind of fic you can snuggle up in a blanket and drink hot chocolate with, all of the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:08:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22573765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon/pseuds/DeeTheTeaDrinkingDragon
Summary: She loved the snow.She always had, ever since she was little. It was such a rare thing to fall in the Silvergrove, only every few years or so, and those had been good, fun times. An excuse to spend time and just relax with Runaan and Ethari.So when Ezran, beaming, had told Rayla all the fun things they could do together on their way to the Banther Lodge she could hardly contain her excitement to just a smile on her face.---You asked for it, and you got it! 18k words of absolute soft fluffy winter shenanigans. A cute little two-shot where Rayla celebrates the Moonshadow equivalent of Christmas with her friends, and we get to explore cute Frostival traditions.
Relationships: Amaya/Janai (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Callum & Soren (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ezran & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Gosh theres too many cute brotp moments to tag theres just a lot of cute interactions in this
Comments: 27
Kudos: 215





	1. Snowfall

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Just real quick before we get into the story, thanks so much for your patience. Can you believe this was meant to be a Christmas themed oneshot? And here we are almost two months later with a two-shot over 18K words. Wild! I've been so excited to share this with you guys for a while, I poured a lot of heart into it, worked on it every single day, got burned out several times but I hope the end project was worth it. <3 
> 
> Now, are you comfy? Got a hot beverage of your choice? Cool. Lets get into it!

She loved the snow.

She always had, ever since she was little. It was such a rare thing to fall in the Silvergrove, only every few years or so, and those had been good, fun times. An excuse to spend time and just relax with Runaan and Ethari.

So when Ezran, beaming, had told Rayla all the fun things they could do together on their way to the Banther Lodge she could hardly contain her excitement to just a smile on her face.

“Oh! And Callum can bake his amazing, famous, festive jellytarts!” Ezran chimed from the horse he and his older brother were sharing.

“Bake?” That caught Rayla off-guard as she raised an eyebrow at the suddenly bashful Callum. “I didn’t know you could bake.”

“Oh uh, Ez is overpitching them.” He chuckled softly. “I’ve gotten better over the years through trial and error. It’s an old recipe of my mom’s, but I’m still trying to figure out how to make them as good as hers were.”

Rayla smiled. “I’m sure they’re wonderful, Callum.”

“Callum’s being modest.” Ez grinned. “You just wait, Rayla.”

It wasn’t a long ride to the lodge from the castle. Certainly faster than if they had been on foot. The first snowfall hadn’t graced this part of Katolis just yet, but according to Barius’s predictions before the party had left, it’d come tonight. ( _‘I always get this ache in my bones when it’s about to snow.’_ He had said.)

When they arrived, it seemed practically unchanged from the last time she had seen it in the summer. And yet, everything had changed, hadn’t it? The world had changed. They had changed. Yet this little log cabin, it was untouched. It was exactly the same, from its window left slightly ajar where she had snuck in, down to the arrows, split, laying on the ground where Amaya’s guards had almost killed her months before.

It was strange, being back here again.

Stranger still it was to have the general accompanying them once more, this time as a good friend. The general had been riding at the head of their party, her partner close by her side, the newly crowned Queen of Lux Aurea.

For a time it had looked like she wouldn’t be able to make it, the repairs to the city were still ongoing, the damages far greater than anyone could have ever expected. She was needed there. But with a little convincing from Amaya, Janai was able to slip away for the much needed break, leaving her council in charge while she was gone.

They were talking in signs as they dismounted, flirting probably from the way Janai laughed and Amaya grinned. As Rayla glanced aside to Callum he caught the boy roll his eyes with an exasperated, yet fond smile.

“What are they saying?” She mumbled.

“They’re being all cutesy.” He sighed. “Aunt Amaya was just talking about nice places around here she can show Queen Janai for dates and stuff like that.” 

“You have no excuse to roll your eyes at them, Callum.” Ezran pointed out. “You’re just as bad, and you know it.”

Callum only responded with a shy laugh, his cheeks rosier than before. He dismounted, if not clumsily, almost landing face first on the ground. Some things never changed, Rayla thought to herself as she hopped off her own horse and jogged over to steady him enough to wriggle his tangled foot out of the stirrup.

She barely got him upright before a little hand found hers and she was tugged excitedly towards the door by a laughing Ezran.

\---

Most of the rest of that day was spent settling in. That was how it had always been since Callum could remember, unpacking, and cleaning down the dusty lodge. Of course, it took less time to clean, given it had only been about seven or so months rather than a full year since its last use, and that there were more hands at work.

Usually it had just been Callum, Ezran, and King Harrow spending time at the lodge with a few crown guards for security. But this year was different for… many reasons. He tried to distract himself from the painful loss of his step-father by looking around at those he had gained.

He still had Ezran, and of course he had Rayla now too, his Aunt and Janai, and even Corvus, Soren, and Gren were here too, along with the usual rotation of guards.

The lodge had never really felt this full before. 

That first night was particularly cosy. Callum, Ezran, Soren, and Rayla had stayed up late, far later than everyone else, playing card games and drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate until they had all passed out in the living room together. Ezran had curled up like a little cat on one of the armchairs with Bait, in his own little pillow fort he had made. Soren lay sprawled across the rug snoring, a trail of drool pooling by his cheek by the dying embers of the fireplace. And Rayla had opted to fall asleep cuddling Callum on the sofa, head resting over his heart.

But when he woke up in the night, she wasn’t there in the warmth of his arms.

“Callum.” Her voice was whispered in the dark and he grumbled, disoriented and half asleep. “Callum… c’mere, look.”

“Rayla…?” He mumbled back, falling ever so gracefully off the sofa when he rolled over with a dull painful thud. “Oomph.”

He heard her snort to contain a laugh. “Wow, elegant as ever.”

Callum huffed and groaned, pulling himself up onto his knees to rub his blurry eyes. He could make out her silhouette perched on the windowsill, bright violet eyes glistening in the faint moonlight. He shuffled over, dragging his feet, swaying with a stifled yawn, his hand reaching out instinctively to find her shoulder.

“What?” He mumbled. “What is it?”

Her voice came out gentle, almost wistful. “Look.”

Callum drew closer to the window, squinting through the dark. Little specs of white flittered past, occasionally batted around by the faint wind currents. They were just now beginning to dust the ground and trees, the outside world slowly beginning its transformation. Tomorrow, for sure, it would look like a winter wonderland. But tonight… it didn’t exactly look like much.

But as Callum turned to look, he found Rayla enamoured by the sight, her breath catching on the window pane, hers fingers pressed to the glass.

“It’s the first snowfall.” She whispered delicately, and in that moment Callum felt his heart flutter. Rayla, who had grown up in the most _wondrous_ place in the world, could find the beauty in such small things.

“It is.” He mumbled back, sitting opposite her.

“We don’t get much snow in the Silverglade. I think I was about ten or eleven last time. And I can’t even remember the last time I saw it actually _falling_ , I was always fast asleep and just… woke up and there it was.” She caught his eye and smiled warmly. “Ez was saying it snows almost every year here. You’re so lucky.”

“I… I guess we are. I’d never really thought about it like that.” His hand found hers, gently weaving his fingers into hers. They were cold, enough for him to wonder just how long she had been sitting on the windowsill by herself, and he couldn’t help but cup his other one around hers now to try and enclose it in his warmth.

“I’m glad you get to share this with us.” He finally whispered, and she looked up at him curiously. “I mean… it’s just… really nice to have you here. It’s gonna be so fun.”

Her face softened. “Yeah… I’m really glad to be here too.”

A silence fell between them, a peaceful, calm one as they watched the flurry picking up outside. He wasn’t sure at what point she had shuffled closer to cuddle him and rest her head on his shoulder, it always felt so natural a thing now between them. But he did notice when her arms loosened sleepily around him, and the rhythm of her breathing begun to change.

“Getting sleepy?”

“Hmm…”

“C’mon. We should get some rest.” Rayla’s half lidded eyes lingered on the scene outside for a moment longer before she nodded.

Her voice was low, mumbled, and Callum strained to hear. “Hmm… Maybe I’ll just… sleep here…”

A laugh caught in his throat, one he tried to restrain for the sake of not waking the still fast asleep Ezran and Soren. It didn’t help when Rayla, very clearly smiling, nuzzled into the crook of his neck, with a little, “Yeah, this is nice and cosy.”

He rested his chin against her cheek gently with a soft chuckle. “I think we might be cosier on the sofa. And warmer.”

“Mm… probably.” She replied, muffled by his shirt and making no attempt to move.

“Am I going to have to carry you?”

“Well now you’ve said that, you have to.”

Callum huffed, his warm breath making Rayla’s ear twitch. “Alright fine. Hold on.” And in a few awkward shuffles and movements, Callum scooped his arm under her knees and lifted her with ease from the windowsill.

Rayla let out a genuinely surprised squeak as she was lifted, clearly thinking he would have struggled a little more to carry her. He chuckled and hushed her softly, gesturing with his head to the sleeping forms of their friends. His girlfriend just stared up at him, a little stunned and starry-eyed, a hint of pink on her cheeks.

Callum indulged in a little kiss between her eyes before he trod carefully, avoiding Soren’s legs, and back over to the sofa. He flopped rather clumsily onto the soft cushions with a dull _‘thwump’,_ protecting Rayla from the fall, and she wriggled to get comfortable again, tangling her legs in his and snuggling up to bury her face in his neck again. She let out a content sigh, and Callum smiled, resting his chin between her horns.

“Comfy…?”

“Mhm… You…?”

He held her a little more securely, combing his fingers tiredly through her hair. “Yeah…” He kissed the base of her horn gently. “Alright… good night. Sleep well.”

“You too. Love you.”

Callum’s heart went giddy. It always did at those words, even after months of hearing them “I love you too, Rayla.”

Rayla dozed off quickly after that, but Callum stayed awake just a few minutes longer, watching the snow dance past the window from where he lay.

\---

“Guys! Guys wake up!” Ezran’s voice chimed out excitedly, as Callum was stirred, or rather _shaken_ away from his dreams by his little brother. He felt Rayla squeeze him around the ribs and her groan as she shifted, equally as dazed, her hair tickling his cheek.

“Ngh… Ez… what…?” He peered up at Ezran’s beaming face.

“It snowed last night! I told you it would, and it did, you have to come see! There’s gotta be at least seven inches!”

Whatever sense of grogginess Rayla had was abandoned that very second, and Callum felt himself winded as she very suddenly clambered over him and bolted with Ezran to the window. “Assault,” He wheezed. “I’ve been assaulted. Mage down.” His dramatic exclamations went unheard as he fell to the floor on his hands and knees.

He pulled himself back up grumbling, and staggered over to the now crowded windowsill. Soren, Rayla, and Ezran obscured the view at first, until he squeezed past them, and there it was, just as he had imagined it. Just as it had always been almost every year, the same view he had grown used to. And there was Rayla’s shining, excited face again next to his, her eyes glittering like the snow outside. 

“We can make a snow-elf!” Ezran grinned and Rayla shared in his joyous smile.

“We can make a whole _family_ of snow-elves.”

There was a bright mood that morning, he could feel it radiating off his friends. And yet, Soren, who Callum had expected to be his usual playful self…. Soren was uncharacteristically quiet. He had been, even on the journey over to the lodge, only chatting really to Corvus on occasion when necessary. Even when everyone had made their way outside, he hung back with the other guards, watching from a distance.

“Hey Callum, you gonna help us or what?” Rayla called out from where she and Ezran were attempting to clump together the powdery snow into a ball with some difficulty.

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll be there, just give me a minute.” He caught the raise of her eyebrow before he turned and jogged over to the uncomfortable looking Soren.

Soren stood tall, staring off into the distance, his mind having wandered so far off, Callum pondered if his voice would even reach him. His brow was furrowed in a solemnity that didn’t quite suit the young man’s face, so tense as though he were waiting for something bad to happen at any moment.

“Hey… you doing alright?”

“Hm…? Oh. Yeah. Yeah it’s… it’s fine.”

Callum pursed his lips, nervous to press the issue. But a strength within him pushed him to be bold. “Is it…? It doesn’t seem like it, you’ve been out of sorts since we set out.”

Soren’s jaw clenched as he mulled over how to respond, and then, finally, relented with a grieved sigh. “Callum…” His voice was low. “This is the first winter I’m without any of my family. I know I’m with you guys and all but I... I feel sort of… _alone._ I’m still just…”

“…Adjusting?” Callum finished gently. Soren nodded. “…I know how you feel.”

There was a pause before Soren replied. “I’m really sorry about your step-dad.”

“Yeah… me too. But… it’s okay, to be sad about it, as long as we both know things will be okay, right? Me and Ez… we lost our dad, but we gained Rayla. And you lost Viren and Claudia but… but you’ve got us now. You’re _not_ alone, Soren. We’re here for you.”

Callum saw the reflection in Soren’s eyes as he mulled over what the young prince was saying. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.” He tried for a smile, though it still didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I mean, you guys will never replace Clauds… but I did always want a younger brother when I was little. Now I kinda have two.” He thumped Callum hard on the back with a slightly heartier laugh. Callum smiled sheepishly, and painfully back.

“Wanna help us build a snowelf?”

“…Y’know what? I’d love to.”

\---

Callum wasn’t the only one who sensed that Soren was out of sorts. Even when the crownguard joined in, Rayla could sense his heart wasn’t wholly in it. But he did seem, at least a little better, whatever Callum had said to him seemed to have lifted his spirits, if not marginally.

“Here, Soren you’re strong! Help us roll this giant snowball.” Ezran ordered.

“Right away, Your Royal Highness!”

As they were busying themselves, Rayla stepped back and gave Callum a little tug on his sleeve. “What’s up with Soren?” She muttered.

Callum leaned closer with a pained expression. “He… He misses Claudia and Viren. Or well, you know, it’s just hard because of what happened and…”

“Oh…” Pity welled in Rayla’s heart. “Yeah… Yeah. I understand.”

“I think he’ll be okay. I just want to keep an eye on him and make him feel included, y’know?”

Rayla felt her heart warming in her chest and she smiled lightly. “That’s very sweet, Callum.”

“Hey! What are you two just standing around for? Give us a hand here!”

“O-Oh! Right! Of course!”

It didn’t take long for the snowelf to take form. It took a couple of attempts to keep the head on, the first one falling off almost immediately and crumpling as it hit the ground, but between the four of them and their diligent work they created something that brought a nostalgic grin to Rayla’s face.

It was Ezran, who Rayla allowed to put the finishing touches, and she watched, rather surprised when he gave the elf a small frown and little markings using dead leaves under its eyes similar to her own.

“Look Rayla, it’s you!” The boy beamed.

“Why do I look so annoyed?”

“It’s your famous scowl!”

“I- …I don’t know how to respond to that.” Callum laughed at her side, but clammed up the second she frowned at him, his lips curled up desperately trying not to utter a sound, and his hands raised defensively.

“See, look! It’s that one! You’re doing it right now!” Ezran chuckled.

Rayla pouted and huffed. “I don’t _scowl._ Not much.”

Callum continued to snicker but wrapped an arm around her shoulder and planted a warm little kiss against her cold cheek. “Of course not, dear. Oh, hey! Maybe she’d be happier if we make her some friends?”

“Hm, I don’t know. Maybe Snow-Rayla is the cold, loner type.” Rayla teased. “Maybe she’s a strong, independent, young snowelf who doesn’t need any friends.”

“Aww, don’t say things like that.” Callum whined. “It’s sad to think like that, Ray.”

“ _And_ already too late. I’m rolling out another body.” Soren grinned. “If Rayla gets to be a snowelf, I’m making myself the most handsome Snow-Soren in all of the world.”

So it seemed that making snowelves was abandoned in favour of everyone making themselves instead. They built a little Snow-Ezran first, right beside Snow-Rayla, with a hair of curly Katolis brambles and blue button eyes, then a taller Snow-Callum on her other side, sporting his red scarf and a mess of leaves for hair. He insisted that he hold Snow-Rayla’s branchy ‘hand’. Rayla had no objections to this.

Rayla turned the little frown on her snowelf upside down. “Hey, what d’you know, Ez? You were right, I think Snow-me is a lot happier now.”

Ezran grinned back, linking his own little snowman’s branch arm with hers.

Soren was still intricately working on his snow sculpture, carving what appeared to be a six pack and abs onto Snow-Soren. There was still the little hint of a frown on his lips, his eyes far off and contemplative

Good. He was distracted.

“Callum,” She whispered with an impish grin. “Callum, I know how we can cheer up Soren.”

He glanced up from where he was adjusting the rim of his coat around his now exposed neck. “Hm? How?”

Rayla reached down and rolled up a small, palm sized snowball in her hands. “Observe.” For a moment, she saw the realisation dawn on his face, followed by panic, and he looked as though he was about to open his mouth and warn her, but it was too late. The snowball arched with pinpoint precision through the air, and-

_Thwumpf!_

It hit Soren square in the cheek and she heard him gasp in shock. He turned to them, his face rife with bewilderment, and Rayla stood up straight, and pointed at Callum with a completely serious face.

Her boyfriend whirled around at her, horrified, betrayal set in on his features. “Rayla!” She could hear Ezran sniggering behind them but she simply shrugged, a grin tugging at her lips. Callum pouted, a sad little puppy-dog look on his face now. “And here I thought you loved me.”

“Oh, I see how it is!” Soren called over, but as Rayla had hoped there was a sparkle in his eyes and he was beaming joyfully. “You’re going _down_ , Princey boy!”

It was a free-for-all after that.

One think Rayla learned quickly was that poor Callum was pretty terrible at snowball fights. He was bad at dodging, bad at aiming his throws, and just generally had a tendency for slipping over in the snow. That made him the biggest target, and her dancing gracefully around the snow made her the hardest target to hit. At one point it seemed Callum had given up, laying face-down in the snow where he had fallen for the umpteenth time, and he only got back onto his feet when Soren in a moment of chivalry helped him up and brushed the snow off his shoulders.

It was a nice reminder, she thought, that the days could be full of fun and laughter now that there was peace across the lands. Truly peaceful times were upon them. They could enjoy these moments without any fear.

Well… perhaps there was a spot of fear every now and again.

Janai and Amaya had been watching their snowball fight in amusement from the porch, a mug of tea in the Sunfire Queen’s hand as she chatted away to the general. It seemed she had been midsentence when it had happened.

A snowball meant for Soren strayed far off course, and walloped the poor elf square in the face, and she staggered backwards in shock.

The world went silent around them as it sunk in what Callum had done. His face went almost as pale as the snow around him.

Panic found Rayla’s own heart, as Janai’s eye caught the culprits and a stern look graced her face. Amaya herself glanced nervously between her girlfriend and her nephew, unsure who’s side to take, or how Janai was about to handle the situation.

Ezran and Soren stood as still and breathless as their snow figures, watching mortified as though they were about to watch a coldblooded murder with no way of stopping it. Janai advanced from the porch towards the poor boy, who stumbled over backwards onto his behind and scooted desperately away. As the Sunfire elf’s boots touched the fresh snow, steam rose around her, the snow glistening and melting on the surface. It only added to her intimidating form.

Rayla’s own legs were moving before she knew it was happening. “Wait!” She cried out. “Wait it’s my fault!” She slid the last few feet on her knees to Callum’s side, wrapping her arms around him. The boy was trembling, though from the cold or fear she couldn’t be entirely certain. “I started it, you can blame me for what happened just please, _please_ don’t be mad at Callum, he didn’t mean-”

Janai raised a hand and Rayla fell silent as though under some form of spell. She felt Callum’s arm wrap around her back grasping at her coat for support, and she rubbed his shoulder gently in what she could only hope was a reassuring gesture.

Well, at least whatever punishment Janai had in store, they would face it together.

The Queen reached down and Callum recoiled his knees twitching closer to his chest as she did, the same furious look in her eye. But then Rayla’s panic melted away into confusion as she watched Janai scoop up a whole armful of snow. She took another couple of steps closer to the two teenagers and Rayla only realised what was about to happen a split second before it did.

_Bwompth._

The snow came cascading down on top of them, and Rayla felt herself chilled to the bone. Beside her she heard Callum’s shaky gasp and he clung more desperately to her in surprise. When Rayla looked back up to meet Janai’s gaze, there was a playful warmth in her eyes now.

A laugh at Rayla’s side caught her off guard, and when she turned her attention back to Callum she realised why. The boy had a little mound of snow atop his head, and she became acutely aware that she must have had one to match. A warm laugh escaped her own lips as she shook her head clear of the snowy debris, and brushed the snow off his own.

Even though her whole body was shuddering from the cold, Rayla felt her heart grow warm.

\---

When the cold had worn out its welcome, they all piled inside to warm up and dry off by the fireplace. It seemed that Corvus had been busy inside making cookies, though he had underestimated the appetite the group had worked up goofing off in the snow, especially Ezran’s. The plate that had been stacked high with the delectable chewy treats was emptied within minutes, and there was no Corvus around for refills, the man having gone out to take care of some other errands with the guards.

Despite having eaten the majority of them himself, Ezran sprawled across the sofa dismayed.

“Famished… I might starve… Oh, how cruel a fate is this…?”

“I’ll go bake something.” Callum ruffled Ezran’s hair. “You Drama king.”

Ezran was revived instantly, sitting up straight with sparkling eyes. “Oh! Can you make some festive jellytarts? Rayla, Soren, and Aunt Janai haven’t had a chance to try them yet!” 

“A-Aunt Janai?” The Queen laughed nervously, her cheeks growing red. But Ezran seemed unperturbed by the woman’s fluster.

Callum felt the tug of a smile on his own lips as he stood, trying his best not to bring attention to the queen. “Sure thing. You guys sit tight.”

As he turned to leave for the kitchen, he caught the proud grin on Amaya’s face, and her signing to Janai; ‘I mean, you pretty much _are_ their aunt at this point now.’

In the kitchen, everything was where it usually was, restocked by the guards, and Callum plucked the things he needed from the shelves on pure instinct. He had, after all, done this many times before, it came naturally to him.

Flour… sugar… butter…

He had always found this just as cathartic as drawing, though he didn’t bake often. Just on special occasions. He could almost hear his mother’s voice now, her laugh as she wiped flour off his nose, feel the warmth of her as he hugged her, burying his face with a grin against her apron…

They were fond memories that resurfaced every time, and there was always one sentence he recalled as clear as day that was at the forefront of his mind every time.

_‘Bake with love.’_ She had always said that with a smile. It was the most important step. ‘ _It won’t come out half as good if you don’t._ ’ 

And so he did. He baked with the love in his heart for his mother, for his friends, and for just the sheer enjoyment of the culinary craft.

A pair of arms slunk around his midriff, startling him out of his daze. They wrapped around his tummy and he was given a gentle squeeze from behind as a chin rested on his shoulder. A smile crept onto his lips, his shoulders relaxing as he turned to plant a gentle kiss against her cheek.

“Can I help you?”

“Just wanted to see what you’re up to.” Rayla’s voice murmured against his ear. “Ezran and Soren fell asleep on the sofa, and Janai and your aunt went off to take a walk, so I got lonely.”

He chuckled, his hand raising up to find hers, brushing his thumb over her fingers and leaving a light trail of flour against her skin. “Do you want to help me make these jelly tarts?”

“Do you really trust me after last month’s fiasco? I thought I was banned from ‘ _any and all future kitchen based endeavours’_?”

“I’m supervising you this time. Also, I’m not letting you anywhere near the oven.” 

“Alright, I suppose that’s fair enough.”

Rayla rolled up the sleeves of her jumper, and he watched as she tied her hair up and back into a little messy bun, strands of hair coming loose and sticking out at jaunty angles. The hair that usually framed her face, falling in front of her ears, was too short to reach the bun, and so she tucked it behind her ears and out of the way.

“Alright then, head chef. What do you need?” Callum could feel his ears burning, and he couldn’t quite find the words to respond. She frowned, tilting her head at him questioningly. “What? What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing, uh, you, you just… you look really cute with your hair up.”

She blinked, surprised, then smiled again, almost shy. “Oh… you think?” Her hand went up to fidget with the hair that was no longer where it usually was, so she awkwardly rubbed her neck instead.

He found himself leaning forward to plant a tender little kiss to her cheek, and mumbled there in a small voice. “I mean, you always look cute. The cutest elf in the world.”

She laughed at that, and he felt her hand find his chest to push him gently away. “Alright, you big softie.” Her cheeks were pinker now than before and he grinned. “These jelly tarts aren’t going to get made if we don’t focus. And poor, _poor_ Ezran will go hungry.”

“Alright.” He chuckled. “C’mon. I’ll teach you how to make the dough.”

\---

As it turned out, Rayla was a good baking student. It was just when she was distracted or showing off in the past that had caused issues.

“I used to help Ethari make moonberry surprise sometimes when I was a kid. It’s been a while, but I guess it’s kind of like muscle memory.” She said gently while rolling out the dough.

“Maybe we can try making that together someday. When moonberries are back in season.”

“I’d like that. Hey, is this okay?”

“That’s perfect. The jelly should be done soon if you want to cut the dough into circles. Hey, are Ez and Soren still asleep?”

“Looks like it.” She chuckled. “All tuckered out from our snowball warfare.”

They worked quietly for a little while, content without words. And then she started to hum. It was so quiet he didn’t notice it at first, but as it grew louder he gave her a little surprised aside glance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you hum before.”

“Oh, really? I suppose it’s not something I feel free to do often.”

“My mother used to hum while we baked.” He smiled fondly. “For a minute I could have imagined her really being here.” 

“O-Oh…” Her voice wobbled, unsure.

“Oh, no, Rayla! It’s, I didn’t mean it like… It’s _nice_ , it was a nice memory. I always think about her when I bake anyway so.”

“She… taught you, right?”

“Well… it’s more that I helped her. I was little when she died. I kind of taught myself how to bake as a way of still feeling that connection to her.” He watched the stiffness in Rayla’s shoulders ease. “I missed this.” His voice came out so wistful.

“Hm…?”

“Baking with someone else. It’s just… it’s nice. It’s really fun.”

She smiled at that. “Well, I’m glad you find me good company.”

“I always find you good company.”

“I should hope so!” She chuckled. “Otherwise I think something would be terribly wrong in our relationship!”

Callum gave her a grin and bumped his shoulder playfully against her own. She bumped him back a little harder, causing him to stagger sideways from the force, and they laughed.

They were quiet for a while, and Rayla’s voice was gentle when she spoke again. “You know… I think I could get used to a life like this.”

“Hmm…?”

“I don’t know, it’s just… I was raised to be a warrior, right? And that’s still a huge part of me and who I am, but being able to do little things like this, _normal_ things… It’s nice. It’s a nice change of pace from worrying about if I’m about to die every day, or the stress from going on diplomacy missions and keeping you and Ez safe... I still love the thrill of our little adventures around the world, don’t get me wrong, but it’s comforting to know we have something to come home and relax to. I never really… expected to be alive this long. I always thought…” She trailed off with a shake of her head. “I don’t want to ever take this life for granted.”

Callum gazed up at her sadly, momentarily distracted from stirring the fruit mixture.

She smiled up at him, a warm glowing grin. “Hey, it’s all thanks to you, y’know. That I’m still around. So thank you for that. And for giving me a chance at living the rest of my life.” Perhaps she was trying to brush aside the vulnerability she had let slip, hiding it behind a smile, but his hand still left the spoon to take her own, and he gave her a little tug towards him. There was a pained expression on his face as he ever so gently turned her to face him, his fingers reaching up to caress her cheek.

“Rayla…” He felt her breath shudder against his lips and it was only then that he realised how close she was to him. He closed the distance with a tender kiss, brushing his thumb against her cheek marking, and she melted with a little sigh into it.

“What was that for?” She whispered when they parted.

“I…” He needed a moment to gather his thoughts. “I just love you. And the thought of y-you… Gods, I’m just so glad you’re here.” He gave her hand a little affectionate squeeze. “I’m glad we have this. And we’re together. And I…” He felt his cheeks burning and a nervous little chuckle catch in his throat, eyes down unable to look her in the face. “I hope we can do this kind of thing… and be like this for the rest of our lives.” 

Rayla’s hand twitched in his, and he could feel her holding her breath. Her other hand reached up to hold his to her cheek, and he felt her shift, pressing her lips tenderly and briefly to his palm. He caught her eye again and she smiled lovingly. “Callum I-” And then her face fell. “Jam.”

“…W-what?”

“The jam- uh, jelly- Callum, Callum it’s _boiling over_ -!”

Callum’s brain felt as though it stalled as he tried to recall what was happening, she took his shoulders to twirl him around and-

Oh no!

Rayla was right, in the moment Callum had turned his back on the pot, the mixture had begun to foam and froth and bubble over its edges, hissing and steaming as it dripped into the fire.

He took it off the heat in a panic, stirring it in frenzied hopes that it hadn’t burned. Rayla watched in stunned silence, until finally, he flashed her an awkward, forced grin. 

“Uh… I think it’s ready.”

\---

Callum had to wave Ezran’s hands away as they walked back into the room with their plates of jellytarts.

Ezran grumbled. “You can’t bat the king’s hands away, there’s gotta be laws against that.”

“Just wait, will you? You ate most of Corvus’s cookies, give the rest of us a chance!”

It seemed the commotion had woken the still sleeping Soren, or perhaps it was the smell of the freshly baked tarts, and he stretched then flashed the pair a cheeky grin. “Oh brilliant. You’ve baked me lunch. Those _are_ all for me, right?”

Ezran shot him a competitive look.

“Wow, Callum, looks like we’re going hungry.” Rayla laughed. Callum rolled his eyes.

Thankfully as everyone settled down it seemed Ezran decided to practice some restraint, Bait too, begrudgingly, so that Rayla and Callum at least got to eat a few of their home cooked treats each.

“You know what? These are _really_ good.” The praise from Soren came as somewhat of a surprise to Callum. “Barius should be worried you’ll put him out of business!”

“O-Oh. Wow, thanks Soren.”

“I agree.” Rayla beamed at him from where she sat. “These are just as good as Ethari’s moonberry surprise. And that’s saying something.” She gave him a little wink and he felt his heart swell with pride. “You know what, these would make such good Frostival deserts.”

The boys all stared at her blankly. “Frostival?” Ezran piped up curiously.

Rayla raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What, you’ve never heard of it? It’s a Xadian Winter festival. Well, more specifically a Moonshadow one, it takes place in the days leading up to the first full moon of winter. There’s a beautiful dance with ribbons, and a banquet of deserts,” Ezran perked at that. “Oh! And we burn tributes to Garlath in hopes he’ll come visit!”

“Garlath.” Callum stared at her blankly. “As in… Garlath the _annihilator_.”

“That’s right.” Rayla chimed with the same cheerful smile. “He’s our patron of winter. On Frostival night, he rides around Xadia in a carriage of bones, in an outfit stained red from the blood of his enemies!”

Callum shared a concerned look with his brother. A little side eyed _‘Oh gods what are we in for’_ glance.

“O-Oh!” Ez’s voice went a little higher than usual, trying to feign optimism to match her own. “That’s… cool.”

She didn’t seem to notice the boys’ apprehension, or if she did, she ignored it. “Rayla, isn’t Garlath that scary guy in the stars who goes around… _murdering_ people?”

“Yup! That’s the one!”

“And you… _want_ him to visit.”

“Yeah?”

Callum stared at her desperately. His voice came out strained. “ _Why?_ ”

She raised an eyebrow, as though this should somehow be obvious to him. “Because Garlath brings cool presents to everyone? Duh.”

Ezran perked up again at that, abandoning all worry about this terrifying figure. “Ooh, presents? What kind of presents?”

Rayla beamed again, taking Ezran’s tiny hands in hers. “Well if you’ve been good he’ll bring you cool things like fanged necklaces or little totems carved from bones… One year, when I was little, I got a real banther skull and ran around the village wearing it like a helmet.”

“Wow. That’s… intense. Moonshadow elves are hardcore.” Soren responded, shoving another jelly tart in his mouth.

“But if you’ve been bad that year he leaves dismembered limbs from his enemies in your boots.”

Callum pursed his lips, placing a hand comfortingly on the shoulder of the now, once again, slightly put off Ezran. “Rayla that’s horrifying.”

She shrugged, a smirk on her lips now. “Not really. I mean it’s pretty tame for Garlath. I guess humans just don’t have the stomach for it.” She smiled back down at Ezran, and he watched her boop his little brother gently on the nose. “But you don’t have anything to worry about, Ez. You’re the nicest human I know.”

“ _Hey._ What about me?”

She stuck her tongue out playfully at Callum, before returning her attention to Ezran. “Besides, it’s just a Moonshadow elf thing. He won’t come all the way out here.” There was a hint of sorrow in her voice now. Something sad and yearning. Callum’s heart sank in that way it always did when she was hurting.

He reached out for her hand, taking it gently in his own, and tangled his fingers into hers, giving them a light squeeze. She caught his eye and he offered her a reassuring smile.

“What if we did a little mini Frostival here?” He suggested. “And we can burn a tribute or something. Then maybe he will come visit!”

Rayla’s face lit up, eyes glistening like the snow outside. “You guys want to celebrate Frostival with me?”

“Of course we do, Ray!” Ezran chipped in. “Aside from the potential of getting body parts left in our shoes, it sounds like fun! When is the next full moon anyway?”

“Next week. So if you guys do want to celebrate it, we still have time!” There was so much joy on Rayla’s face now, Callum could see in her eyes, her already planning everything out.

It was about that time that Amaya and Janai returned from their stroll, their laughter echoing down the hall. Callum could just catch the tail end of a story Janai was telling his aunt;

“…And then, you won’t believe this, Chewie almost _ate_ the guard! I got there just in time to settle her down, but he still refuses to go near her to this day. It’s so hard to find good Tiger-sitters nowadays…” She looked up as they slowed to a halt in the doorway. “Oh, well don’t you all look cosy.”

She had her arm around Amaya, who was still smiling cheerfully herself. His aunt glanced them over and then her expression flickered with surprise.

‘Well I can smell freshly baked jelly tarts but I don’t see any.’ She signed.

Callum blinked dumbfounded between the couple, and the plate on the table on front of them.

The very _empty_ plate.

“Guys. We ate all the jelly tarts.”

Soren popped the last one quickly in his mouth, almost as though he was hoping no one would notice. “Di’h wre?” he asked, mouth full.

Callum sighed shaking his head. And then he felt a little tug on his hand from Rayla, watching as she stood.

“C’mon. We can make some more.” 

\---

When night finally encroached and everyone had begun settling for bed, an unforeseen issue arose.

On the first night, Rayla and her friends had slept in the living room together, but now it had become apparent that there was not enough beds to go around for all the new occupants of the lodge.

“Janai and Aunt Amaya are in the double room,” Ezran recalled. “Soren’s gone to sleep in the guard quarters. Corvus and Gren are in the twin guest room… And we have our room that we always share. So where’s Rayla gonna sleep?”

A good question indeed, and not one easily answered.

“I can sleep with the guards. I mean, I’m _sort of_ a guard now in a way.”

“There’s no more room.” Callum replied, face wrinkled into a cute little frown as he tried to think up a solution.

“The sofa?”

“You’ll get cold!” Ezran interjected. “It gets so cold there at night without the fire going! And besides, you’d be all alone.” 

“I don’t mind being alone, Ez.” She smiled gently. “I know it’s different for you since you’ve always had Callum about, but I grew up an only child, I had my own room back in the Silvergrove and everything.”

“That might be true but we can’t make you sleep on the couch. You’re our guest.” Callum pointed out. “Look, tell you what, you can take my bed, and _I’ll_ take the sofa.”

“But then _you’ll_ be cold and alone.” 

“A sacrifice I am willing to make.”

“Oh!” Ezran’s exclamation startled them both. “Why don’t we take the pillows off the sofa, and make a little bed on the floor?”

“Well, it’d be a pain to keep putting them back and setting it up again every night but you might be onto something Ez. I’m sure no one would mind if we borrow one of the rugs from the games room, and lay it on top of the one in our bedroom. And I can sleep on that.”

“Perfect! Is that okay with you, Rayla?”

“Sure. But I mean, really, I can sleep on the floor, I don’t want to kick you out of your-“

“No, nope, sorry, I could never live with myself for being so selfish.”

A laugh escaped her lips. “What a gentleman.”

It was a big rug, far larger than the space between the two beds. That was alright though, Callum pointed out that folding it over would make it more comfortable to sleep on anyway. Still, Rayla felt a pang of guilt in her heart. Callum was a prince. A prince who had roughed it for a whole month in the summer on the trek to Xadia, yes, but still, this was his family’s lodge, he shouldn’t have to sleep on the floor for her sake. She was more than used to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces, and she had tried to protest again as they set up the area with additional blankets and spare pillows they had scavenged. But he wouldn’t hear it.

Stubborn human. Stubborn, adorably, annoyingly, sweet human.

His bed was warm and comfortable, the covers feeling weightier and thicker than the ones back at the castle and the spire. The kind made to keep you cosy on long, cold winter nights.

It was no wonder Ezran was out like a light within minutes of getting into his bed. She could feel herself drifting off quickly. But then she heard a shuddered little breath from below her. Rayla peered over the edge at Callum, curled up into a tight ball on the floor.

Callum had no thick warm duvets, only the blankets they had found around to make due.

“Callum… are you cold…?”

“It’s fine.” He replied, and yet there was a shiver in his muffled voice. He buried his face a little more in the blankets. “Don’t worry.”

Rayla’s brow knitted into a frown, and she reached down, brushing his fringe out of the way of the eyes he had squeezed closed.

“Why don’t you come up here? It’s nice and warm. I can’t sleep now, knowing you’re suffering down there.” 

“W-What? You want to share the bed?” His voice went a little higher, and she raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure why that was such a big issue.

“Yeah? There’s plenty of room.”

He didn’t reply to that, barely shifting where he lay. Finally he sat up, his eyes catching hers with a little worried expression. “Are you sure it’s okay…?”

Rayla scooted back until she felt the wall behind her and patted the mattress next to her with a warm smile. Callum still hesitated. She sighed, reached over and took his wrist gently, giving him a little tug. “C’mon.”

Finally Callum slunk up onto the bed, but he perched right on the edge looking timid. Rayla clicked her tongue irritably.

“Why are you acting so weird?”

“Weird? Who’s acting weird? I’m not acting weird.”

She raised an eyebrow at him and sighed. “It’s fine, if this is too stressful for you I can sleep on the floor-”

“N-No!” His voice came out a little louder than he intended, and she felt him freeze and glance over his shoulder at the sleeping Ezran. The boy stirred in his own bed, but rolled over, and all was quiet once more.

He turned back with a relieved sigh, his voice softer when he spoke again.

“I just…” She could see the blush on his cheeks even in the dark, his eyes avoiding hers. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, that’s all.”

She stared at him for a moment. “Callum.” She whispered brushing her fingers gently down his cheek. “You never make me uncomfortable. I feel safe here with you. Also you are _freezing_ you poor thing. Come here.”

He shuffled ever closer and she wrapped an arm around him, trying to share her warmth with him, and he finally met her eye, glittering in the dark. She offered him a soft smile, and his own lips turned up as she slipped her hand up and into his hair, brushing her fingers and thumb against his scalp. But she could still tell he was worrying about it from his eyes. 

“You’re overthinking things.” She whispered gently, pressing a little kiss to his forehead. “It’s fine. Just close your eyes, and try and get some sleep.”

“Okay… I’m sorry Rayla.”

She pulled him closer, pressing her forehead to his own. “Shh… You don’t need to be.” Finally she felt Callum’s arms wrap gingerly around her, one hand on her lower back, the other between her shoulder blades, his thumb brushing back and forth soothingly.

“I love you.” He mumbled, his breath warm on her cheek.

“I love you too.” 


	2. Frostival

“What happened to sleeping on the floor?”

Ezran’s voice was muffled to Callum’s groggy, half asleep ears by the covers as he begun to stir from the world of dreams.

What had happened again? Why was he here? He blearily recalled being on the floor briefly… And yet as he regained consciousness he became acutely aware of just how warm and cosy he was, in a pair of arms draped around him, and his ear was pressed to a chest, a heartbeat drumming a rhythm in time to his own.

He knew it was Rayla immediately, he could hear her breathing shifting too as she woke, and she rested her chin on top of his head.

“Hmm… What…?” Her voice was still laced with sleep. Callum peeked an eye open himself, glancing back at his little brother, standing at the edge of his bed. Ezran’s arms were crossed, though he didn’t look particularly annoyed. More confused than anything.

“Why are you in Rayla’s bed?”

Callum felt his face beginning to flush as reality set in. And yet as he opened his mouth to defend himself, Rayla got there first.

“It was cold. Really cold.” He felt her arm shift and her hand rest against the back of his head, almost defensively. There was no shame in her voice, no waver to her heart. She was quite calm and content. “Also it’s nice and comfy.”

“Well, it’s time to get up now!”

“Five more minutes.” Callum mumbled pleadingly.

“Fifty more minutes.” Rayla added in the same tone, which, to Callum, was a surprise since she usually found it far easier to get up in the morning than him.

Ezran’s nose wrinkled as he reached across and took Rayla by the wrist, trying to yank her up. “No, no more minutes. We’ve got stuff to do. Like preparing for Frostival!”

Rayla sighed against Callum’s hair. “You make a good point, Ezran. But can I offer a counter point of my own?”

“What’s that?” 

Rayla’s hand suddenly wrapped around Ezran’s wrist, and the boy squeaked as he was yanked onto the bed, erupting into laughs as the pair bundled him up in the duvet with them.

“See. Very cosy.” Rayla grinned.

“Alright, fine, you make a compelling argument.”

“Besides, you should know if you want to celebrate Frostival, one such tradition is _sleeping in_.”

“…Is it?”

“…Okay, no. But I don’t see why we can’t, just this once.”

They lay there in a giggling little cuddle pile for a few precious moments before there was a knock on the door.

It was Soren’s voice that called out to them. “Hey are you guys up yet? Gren wants to know if we need any supplies from back at the castle for Frostival.”

Rayla was the first to begrudgingly sit up, much to the protests of her human companions draped around her.

“Alright, tell him we’ll be down in a minute.”

Soren’s footsteps creaked away and she sighed, looked back over her shoulder at the two brothers. Callum could feel himself giving her a pitiful little puppy-dog face back, not quite ready to relinquish his morning cuddles.

“Oh, don’t give me that look.” She chuckled. “Come on team, we’ve got work to do.”

\--- 

Rayla didn’t know Gren all that well. They’d crossed paths a couple of times since the Battle of the Spire, but he’d mostly spent the past few months with General Amaya in Lux Aurea, helping the effort to rebuild the kingdom.

He was a kind man. She knew this already, she could tell from his smile and laugh, and the warmth that exuded off him wherever he went.

Perhaps it was such a small thing to him, offering to go all the way back to get things for her, but to Rayla, it meant a great deal.

“You don’t have to get much, honest. We can make do with a lot of things already around the lodge.”

“Are you sure? I really don’t mind. Frankly, I am excited to experience a Xadian festival for the first time!” Gren beamed.

Rayla’s own lips couldn’t help but instinctively twitch into a smile of her own. “I’m sure. If you just bring back some fabrics and sewing materials, that’ll be more than enough for us to work with.”

The commander nodded, pulling himself up onto his horse. As he turned, she watched his eyes widen in surprise at something just over her shoulder, and he gave a polite bow.

“Oh! Good morning, Prince Callum!”

And there he was, trudging over through the snow, still looking rather half asleep, his hair not yet combed. “Mornin’.” He yawned. Callum slipped his arm around Rayla dozily with a little rub of his eyes. “Are you now heading out? Aunt Amaya asked if you can check in and make sure the castle is still well fortified while you’re out.”

“Of course! Anything else I can do for you both while I’m at the castle? It’s no trouble at all!” 

“Uh, no, I think that’s everything. Thanks Gren.”

Gren gave a polite, cheerful nod. “Alright, I’ll be back late tonight, then. See you later!” He clicked his tongue in signal for his horse to set out.

When he was out of earshot, she leaned closer to Callum. “He reminds me a little of you, y’know.”

He turned to her, curious. “In what way?”

“The way you both try to make everyone around you happier. You both radiate so much kindness.”

She watched a blush colour Callum’s cheeks and a little giddy smile appear on his lips. “Aww... Rayla.”

They watched Gren ride off with a final wave before returning indoors.

“Your hair’s a mess by the way.” She chuckled, weaving her hand up into it. She gave it a ruffle for good measure and laughed as he huffed, batting her hand away.

“Rayla! C’mon, ugh…”

_“Rayla!”_ Ezran’s voice called out as they made it through the door. “Rayla, me and Soren had a great idea!” Bait grumbled from the boy’s arms as he bounded over enthusiastically. “Oh, and Bait too, of course.”

“Oh? And what might this idea of yours be?”

“We should invite Lujanne down for Frostival, don’t you think? She’s been by herself up at the Moon Nexus for so long… it’d be nice for her to share it with friends!”

Rayla exchanged a surprised glance with Callum. Truth be told, she hadn’t considered that, and now that the option was presented to her, she felt a pang of guilt. It was true, Lujanne had spent so much time over the past decades completely alone. And Frostival… Frostival was a celebration meant for families and friends to come together, _be_ together.

“You know what?” She finally smiled. “I think that’s a great idea, Ez.”

\---

Lujanne arrived the following afternoon, in the middle of everyone setting up decorations around the lodge.

And boy, did she make an entrance, as only Lujanne could.

At first, there were cries of alarm and panic, the instinctual fear of seeing a _dragon_ this far across the borders of Katolis. Even after months after peace between the two lands, it was hard not to succumb to old fears.

But as the silvery dragon descended, the figure on its back became clearer, and Ezran ran excitedly to greet her.

Some of the guards hung back, still a little wary, mostly ones who had not been involved at the Battle of the Spire, while others approached with caution.

“Lujanne! You made it! And who’s this little cutie?” the young king grinned, fussing immediately with the dragon as it lowered its head to regard him.

Rayla stared up at the dragon. “Little?”

“Cutie?” Callum added, shuffling nervously towards his little brother.

“She’s my plus one. And my ride. Thank you Sparkles.” Lujanne slid down off the back of the dragon with a surprising amount of grace. Now that she was on the ground, Callum noted with curiosity the wicker basket in her hand. “I assume we are allowed plus ones at this party, yes? If not, it’s not too much of an issue.”

With a click of her fingers, Callum watched the dragon’s scales begin to pull away, bright, and white and fluttering, and suddenly all at once the dragon had burst into scales- no, _giant moon moths_ , as they scattered into the air.

The guards watched with a mix of awe and complete bewilderment.

“An… illusion?” Callum muttered in wonder.

“Of course. I had to get here somehow, seeing as Phoe-Phoe is still recovering.” Callum felt a cold twist in his heart, remembering the state in which he had last seen the moon phoenix. Lujanne must have read the boy’s expression. “Oh don’t worry, she’s doing _much_ better. She’s so tiny at the moment though, she’s barely growing her feathers. I brought her with me, in fact.”

Lujanne opened the basket for the trio to peer inside. It was hard to see at first, bundled up in a nest of blankets… but there she was. A tiny, baby moon phoenix. Ezran had told Callum about phoenixes, how when they died, they reincarnated, reborn to start their lifecycle anew, but to see it with his own eyes… it still seemed so unreal. Magic was a beautiful, mysterious thing.

“What a wee lil’ cutie.” Rayla smiled, reaching in to give the bird a little scratch under her chin. Phoe-Phoe leaned quite happily, if not a little wobbly into her touch, peeping loudly up at them.

“I’m glad you’re doing better, Phoe-Phoe. Though you look a little cold… maybe we should get Corvus to knit you a tiny sweater!” Ezran grinned.

Callum chuckled softly. “I think he’s a bit busy with the decorations at the moment, Ez.” He gestured with a little jerk of his head over his shoulder at the man, sewing together little silver and purple bows with a look nothing short of pure concentration.

“Oh, you’re decorating? I can help with that.” Lujanne closed the lid of her basket carefully and pressed it into Ezran’s hands before she took a few steps forward. A rune escaped her fingertip as she traced it into the air. “ _Ornamentum_ _allucinatio!_ ”

The lodge was bathed in a cool silver glow. Remaining guards scattered away in alarm, watching as the glow intensified in brightness. It took a moment for Callum’s eyes to adjust, as it faded gently into hues of blue, but by the Great Spirits above, it looked beautiful. Callum couldn’t help but be reminded of both the Silvergrove and the Moon Nexus. Perhaps it was the patterning of the banners in their shades of white, silver and blue, as they draped delicately from the canopies, or the carved silver wood sculptures framing the porch, but everything about the decorations screamed Moonshadow.

Corvus turned cautiously, staring at the lodge over his shoulder. The half-finished bow dropped feebly from his fingers.

“Ugh, couldn’t you have arrived and done that two hours ago? You would have saved everyone a lot of work.” Soren grumbled.

“Well I would have arrived sooner, but I had to make sure I had someone to cover for me at the Moon Nexus. It’s a very important job, you know. So I had to pick up and drop off Ellis and Ava first.”

“You left Ellis, a ten year old, in charge of one of the most culturally important landmarks in the world?” Callum pointed out incredulously.

“You put a ten year old in charge of your entire kingdom.”

“…Okay, touché.”

“I trust Ellis. She is a resilient and resourceful young girl. Now then! I read in your letter you’re going to provide food for this gathering? I haven’t eaten _real_ food in over forty years…” 

\---

Lujanne was great fun to have around. But Rayla was inclined to need her space every now and again, and with how busy and noisy the lodge had become it was no surprise to Callum when she slunk away to take a minute to herself.

He found her sitting in a tree nearby, watching the bustling jovial affairs of the adults as they went about their business, a soft expression on her face.

“Hey. Mind if I join you?”

His voice startled her momentarily, before she smiled, reaching down to give him a hand up. “Not at all.”

Callum pulled himself up rather clumsily, then settled on the branch next to her, relaxing when she put and arm around him. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I‘m having a really nice time here. I was just getting a bit overwhelmed.”

“I know. And that’s okay. It’s all getting a bit lively down there at the moment.”

She gave Callum a little squeeze and rested her head against his shoulder. “I can’t believe everyone’s doing this for me.”

Callum smiled, nuzzling his nose gently against the top of her head, and planted a little kiss just shy of her horn. “Of course we are. It’s important to you, so it’s important to us.” He rested his cheek carefully between her horns, admiring the snowy scene before them.

It was a while before Rayla broke the silence with a little chuckle. “Look. Look at Ez.” 

Ezran was parading around quite proudly showing off his king’s robe, no doubt boasting to everyone about how warm it was. Phoe-Phoe sat nestled against his cheek, and it would appear Corvus had made the little bird a tiny little cloak of her own out of some string and an offcut of fabric to help keep her warm. The boy looked so much like his father, Callum thought, sporting the little bird on his shoulder as Harrow had done with Pip.

“He… looks a bit like his dad, doesn’t he?” Callum glanced back to her, surprised. It was almost as though she had read his mind. “I mean, I’ve only seen a few paintings around the castle of him but…”

Callum felt a little lump of emotion form in his throat. “He does.” His voice came out wobbly, and he coughed nervously to disguise it. Clearly it didn’t fool her, as she sat up a little straighter and offered him a sympathetic look.

“Oh… Callum I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be, it’s fine. It’s still just… it’s still a little painful sometimes. I keep expecting to see him around here and I have to remind myself that he’s… not.” Rayla’s ears drooped slightly. “But uh,” He coughed again, sitting up a little straighter. “He wouldn’t want us to be sad. This is supposed to be a celebration, right?”

Rayla smiled softly. “Yeah. Exactly. Hey, y’know, I could show you some cute Frostival traditions if you like.” It was an obvious attempt at cheering him up, but it was one that worked.

“…I’d like that.”

She shuffled to face him more, and gestured for him to do the same. She’d perked up now, a little excited glisten in her eyes, one he had started to see a lot more of lately and had grown immensely fond of.

“This is a cute little custom, I think you might like.” She reached forward and gently brushed her fingers through the hair that fell by his cheek. Callum’s heart did a happy little flutter in his chest at her touch. “It’s traditional for couples to put a braid in each other’s hair this time of year, and you tie it at the end with a moonlily stalk. Of course, you don’t have moonlilies in Katolis, but maybe we can find something similar.”

“Not much really grows here this time of year, but I’m sure we can! Maybe down by the lake… Huh. I wonder if the ice is thick enough for ice skating yet. Have you ever been ice skating, Rayla?”

The girl grimaced. “No, and quite honestly I don’t exactly have the fondest memories of the _last_ time we were on a frozen lake.”

“O-Oh… Yeah. Well, this time will be different! I promise. There will be no dropping of baby dragon princes into _this_ frozen lake.” The concern didn’t melt from her face. He offered her a comforting smile, reaching up for her hand, and he took it in his own, guiding it to plant a tender little kiss against her middle knuckle. “I promise you, hand on heart, that it’ll be fun.”

“Hand on heart?”

He placed her hand on his chest with a cheeky little grin. “Hand on heart. See?”

Rayla laughed at that. “Alright… Gods, you big sap.”

After grabbing a couple pairs of ice-skates from the lodge, and giving his aunt a heads up on where they were going, the pair set off on their little ice skating date. Rayla still seemed a little sceptical, and part of Callum wondered if it was her fear of the water lurking below the ice, or the bitter memories of the mountain lake from the summer.

It only encouraged him more to make sure she had a good time.

They followed the river some way, eyes scanning the area for any flora that had survived the snow that they could use. But Callum wasn’t just looking for something to tie their braids. Truth be told, he wasn’t sure if Garlath _would_ make the journey to the Banther Lodge, and the idea of Rayla being hurt and disappointed at that prospect was too much to bear.

Callum’s eyes scrutinised his surroundings intensely. Garlath was all about bones, fangs, maybe claws, if he could find something like that…

“Callum!” He was startled from his thoughts by her voice. He stiffened to attention, just mere inches from the tree he was about to walk into. She was biting back a laugh, he could tell, probably a snarky comment too.

Alright, perhaps looking for a gift could wait a moment longer. They were almost at the lake now anyway.

“I should warn you in advance that I’ve never been very good at skating.”

Rayla snorted as she pulling on the skates. “I can imagine, you klutz.” She stood, wobbling, then glanced once more nervously at the frozen surface. “Can’t imagine I’ll be much good either though. I feel like a new-born deer like this.” 

“You’ll be great.” He smiled, taking both her hands in his own as he stepped tentatively backwards towards the ice. “It’s… it’s just like dancing.”

There was a sound of scratching metal against ice as he stepped back now, and she let him tug her gently onto the lake with him.

For a few seconds, all was well. Callum’s eyes were on Rayla, smiling comfortingly at her as he watched her staring down at the ice trying to keep her balance on the thin blades.

And then he realised her was skating backwards.

Callum was not good at skating backwards.

There was a stagger, and all at once the world was thrown away from him as he fell on his back with a hard thud, pulling the poor elf down with him. At least she had a softer landing.

“Oh wow, good start.” He wheezed.

Rayla pulled herself up onto her hands and knees, stifling a laugh and trying to look worried for him. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just bruised my pride a little.” He sat up, rubbing his back. “Why don’t we try that again, but with less falling?”

It went better after that. Rayla was a natural once she got her balance, and he watched with a grin as she laughed, spinning and circling around him in elation.

“You know what? I’ll admit it, you were right. This _is_ pretty fun.”

Callum struggled to keep up with her, but every time he felt himself starting to slip and fall she was right there beside him again, pulling him up and along with her.

“Thanks, Rayla.” He sighed relieved for what must have been the seventh time at least.

She didn’t respond at first, and when he caught sight of her face he faltered. She was distracted, her eyes focused on something off in the distance. He followed her gaze to a small figure, running along the river, the unmistakable outline of his little brother prancing though the snow.

She lead them over to meet him just a ways off the edge of the lake, watching his irritated little face come into focus as he kicked his shoes off and replaced them with his own pair of skates. The boy king skated over with far more grace than his older brother, grumbling as he got closer.

“I can’t believe you’d go ice skating without me!” He huffed. “I thought we were brothers, Callum! I thought you loved me!” A pit of guilt formed in Callum’s stomach, even though he could tell Ezran was half joking about how annoyed he was. “As your king I shall have your head for this!”

Rayla burst out laughing at his side. “Oh no! Now you’ve done it, Callum!”

“Ah, I’m sorry Ez, we should have asked you first.”

“You should. I guess now I’m going to have to confiscate your girlfriend.”

“W-What?” Callum stuttered, watching as Ezran skittered past and took a still giggling Rayla by her hand. She gave him a humoured shrug as she let Ezran lead her away. “Wait! That’s not fair! Ezran!”

\---

If there was one bright side to Ezran stealing Rayla, it was that he could admire how adorably happy the pair made each other. He skimmed around them carefully, watching as they laughed, Rayla’s hands in Ezran as she pulled him along and spun him around. At one point Callum watched both of Ezran’s feet leave the ice, and he had to give them a wide girth to avoid the sharp blades.

Eventually, Ezran seemed to decide he had punished his brother enough and let Callum join them.

They must have spent most of the day out on that lake, it was only once the sun begun to set over the distant mountain peaks that they decided to head back. Rayla carried Ezran on her back on the way, quite happily listening as the boy chatted away to her excitedly. Callum couldn’t help but find the whole ordeal incredibly endearing.

Rayla was just like a big sister to him now, she loved him so dearly, so wholeheartedly. She had since the very beginning, but with things finally settling down, the pair had become thick as thieves, getting into mischief around the castle together when time allowed. It was generally a rule of thumb, if Rayla wasn’t with Callum, she was usually found by Ezran’s side instead.

She really was just part of their little family at this point.

There was a fireplace going by the time they got back, the group happily flopping on the floor in front of it to warm themselves. It was only then that Callum realised they had been so distracted out on the lake that they had neglected the very task they had gone there to do in the first place.

“Rayla? We forgot to get something for the braids.”

“You might have,” She grinned. “But I didn’t.” She pulled something out of her coat pocket, three or four strands of thick, reedy grass, the kind that grew close to the water’s edge.

Ezran stared up at them curiously from where he lay sprawled across Rayla’s lap, the glowtoad cuddled close to his chest. “Hey, what are those for?”

Rayla smiled down at him, tickling Ezran’s nose with the reeds’ ends and the boy giggled. “It’s nothing much, just a little Moonshadow couple tradition.” When Ezran raised an eyebrow up at her she simply chuckled. “You’ll see soon enough.”

It wasn’t until after Ez had turned in for the night though that the pair braided each other’s hair by candlelight. Callum did his first, a little awkwardly as he had never braided hair before, and so Rayla offered some guidance here and there, with an entertained smile, poking fun at him as she did. The braid she did for him was far tidier and quicker, perhaps because he had less hair, but also in part perhaps because Rayla had far more practice.

“So does this have a meaning at all…?”

“It’s sort of an old superstition. They say that if the stalk holds until Frostival day, your love will last forever. It’s cute right?”

“And if it doesn’t hold…?”

“Then I guess I’ll just have to break up with you.” Callum’s face fell, horrified, and Rayla laughed, clutching at her ribs. “Callum, I’m joking! I’m joking.” She smiled warmly at him, cupping his cheek with her hand. “It’s just for fun. And because, well… I’ve never had the chance to do this before.” Callum relaxed, a smile tugging at his lips. She tied the strand carefully around his braid as tight as she could make it.

“I guess we’re at an advantage since these reeds are tougher than moonlily stalks.”

“Perhaps.” She hummed. “Though they’re also a lot less flexible, so they might be more prone to slipping loose.”

“Well I hope they don’t fall out,” He mumbled. “I’ll be worrying about that for the rest of the week now.”

Rayla chuckled. “Aw, don’t fret over it too much. Whether it falls out or not is just a matter of luck really. I just wanted to share this part of Frostival with you, y’know? It’s kind of an intimate thing and well… I just really love you. A lot.”

Callum’s face split into a giddy grin, and he leaned in, pressing his lips gently to her own. When they parted, her eyes twinkled lovingly, and his heart melted. He could gaze into her eyes all evening if she let him.

Part of him knew she would too.

\---

It wasn’t until the day before Frostival Eve that Callum was able to find something presentable as a gift from Garlath. He had happened on it by chance whilst out looking for firewood, what at first seemed like a strangely shaped branch turned out to be the shed antler from a deer. That seemed Garlath-y… right? It’d need cleaning, and maybe he could carve some cool patterns into it for her… The tricky part now was trying to figure out how to sneak it back and do all this without her _seeing_.

He’d need help.

At least getting the antler back discreetly wasn’t too much trouble. Since he had been out getting firewood he simply hid it amongst the tangle of branches he had found, and snuck it into the wood storage. He hoped it would be safe for a moment if he stuck it far at the back, hopefully no one would accidentally throw it onto the fire. He only needed a few minutes.

When he found them, they were laughing together, Ezran, Soren and Rayla sitting on the floor together. Rayla had his cloak around her, putting on that _gods awful_ human accent of hers, drawling something about ‘ _sure is lovely weather we’re havin’! I just love pointing that out excessively, even though it’s obvious!_ ’ 

Soren and Ezran where egging her on, boosting her ego through the roof, and Callum couldn’t help a fond little eye roll.

“Hey, Ez,” He called out after she finished her little rant. “Can you give me a hand with something real quick?”

The group gave him a collective look of curiosity, but to his relief none of them questioned him further. Ezran waited until Callum took a few steps away from the door with him before he asked what he needed.

“So you remember a couple days ago, when Rayla was telling us about Frostival, and how Garlath brings presents to elves on Frostival night?”

“Yeah, and he leaves chopped off limbs in their shoes if they’ve been bad, which is a little creepy.”

“Uh, yeah. Well,” Callum parted the wood logs, and with a quick peek over his shoulder to make sure Rayla wasn’t there, pulled free the antler.

Ezran’s eyes widened. “Woah! Is that a deer-?”

“Shh!”

“Oh, sorry. Is that a deer antler?”

“Yeah, I found it earlier today. I figured it’d make a cool gift from Garlath, right?”

Ezran’s eyes scrutinised him and suddenly he felt oddly exposed. “But it’s _not_ from Garlath.”

“W-Well no, I- Okay just listen for a minute. I wanted to get something for Rayla just in case Garlath doesn’t show up.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Well… I don’t know, there’s lots of reasons, he’s a Xadian folklore… _figure_ for a start. Like some weird, spooky, spirity person, and if he _does_ even exist there’s a chance Rayla’s right and that he won’t come this far out into Katolis.”

Ezran crossed his arms. “Well he should. Rayla’s a hero, the biggest hero in the world for what she did, he should make the effort.”

“I agree. But this is just a sort of… back up gift, you know? If he does end up coming, it’ll be a bonus!”

Ezran glanced nervously down the hallway, then back at his brother. “…Alright. Well what do you want me to do?”

“I need you to keep Rayla distracted for me. Just for today, while I clean this up and make it more presentable. Do you think you can do that?”

“Oh sure! Me and Soren can have a baking day with Rayla this time. She did say she wanted to make some things for tomorrow’s banquet.”

“And if she asks where I am?”

Ezran thought carefully. “I’ll tell her you went for a walk. You uh, were feeling inspired to draw.”

Callum smiled and nodded. “Thanks Ez.”

“You owe me for this.”

“Alright,” he chuckled, watching Ezran turn and make his way back down the hall. The boy paused for a moment, then smiled back over his shoulder.

“Hey, you know, if you wanna make it really cool for Rayla, you could try carving it into an ornamental knife or something. I bet she’d love that.”

“…You know what? Yeah. I bet she would.” 

\---

Of course, carving the antler was easier said than done. He had overestimated his abilities, sure, wood… or well, in this case, antler-carving was an art form, but not one he had any experience in. Still, Callum chiselled away at it with the sharpest knife he could find in the kitchen draw. At least he could thank his eidetic memory for knowledge of Moonshadow architectural patterns. If he could just… get them… to look right…

The knife slipped and caught his finger and he hissed dropping his project with a clatter to the floor. That seemed to have become a reoccurring difficulty during this. Callum’s hands were now covered in various small cuts and abrasions from the past hour he had spent sitting there on the steps out on the back patio of the lodge, and it was still nowhere near where he wanted it to look like.

It was almost getting hopeless. He almost gave up.

And then the back door opened.

Callum panicked, scrambling to shove the antler into his coat to obscure it from view. “R-Rayla?”

“Uh, no, it’s just me.” The Sunfire queen responded, a little startled by Callum’s jumpiness. “I last saw her making something in the kitchen with the big oaf, your brother, and his frog.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s a bit of a mess... I think the tracker man from your aunt’s guard is trying to help handle things in there now.”

“Corvus? Oh that’s a relief, he knows what he’s doing.”

“One can hope. What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Callum hesitated, glancing down at his coat. “Can you keep a secret?”

A warm smile caught on Janai’s face as she stepped forward and sat on the step next to him. “Try me.”

Callum slowly parted his coat to reveal the half whittled antler. At first she frowned, glancing up at him. But then her eyes softened again. “I take it this isn’t for some dark magic purpose, hm?”

“W-What? No, no, I hate dark magic. I’m a primal magic kind of mage, I promise.” He offered it out to her, and she took it, only then noticing his attempts to carve the horn. “I found it in the woods, I was hoping to make it into something cool for Rayla for Frostival. But as a surprise.”

Janai twirled it carefully with her fingers. “Have you ever carved before?”

“…No. Does it show?”

“Yes. But everyone has to start somewhere. Pass me your knife… I’ll give you a hand.” Callum passed her the kitchen knife and she glanced between it and his face with exasperation. Okay, so maybe a kitchen knife wasn’t the best tool for the job. “Hold on, wait here.”

She was gone only a few minutes, and when she returned it was with a small whittlers knife. Janai went to pass it to him, pausing when she noticed the dozens of cuts on his hands. She muttered something in her native tongue with a small sigh, then took the antler, and his hand, guiding it carefully along the edge of the antler.

As it turned out, Janai was a good teacher, incredibly patient. And she seemed more than willing to sit with him until he was comfortable with the techniques she showed him.

“Where did you learn to do this, u-uh, if you don’t mind be asking, your majesty?”

“It’s a hobby I picked up off one of my troops when I was stationed at the breach. They came from a small village far, far from the border. And there’s no need for such formality, young prince. We’re all friends here.”

Callum relaxed, focusing on the patterning lining the antler now. “Thank you… I’m glad you came along when you did. I was just about ready to give up.”

“Hmm… well I’m glad you didn’t.” They were silent for a moment before Janai spoke again. “It’s very admirable, what you’re doing.”

“It is?”

“Yes. It’s truly telling how much you love that girl, going so far out of your way to accommodate her culture into your life. I never knew just how noble and loving humans could be until recently.”

Callum smiled. “So things are going well with aunt Amaya?”

“Very. Your aunt has a heart purer than most elves I know. She’s wonderful.” She paused reflectively. “It feels like a lifetime ago that I was on the Breach… protecting Xadia’s borders from what I thought were monsters. And yet this whole time… can you believe…?”

He could believe. Had someone told him a year ago that he would not only make peace with elves, but fall in love with one, well he’d think they were mad. Yet here they were. The future looked bright for humanity and elfkind.

The ornamental dagger took shape slowly but surely, and Janai seemed happy to keep him company through it. It wasn’t anything too complex, but it looked quite nice he had to admit, with its swirling patterns. It wasn’t practical, of course, while it had a blade, the ‘hilt’ so to speak he had left mostly untouched and natural. He thought it looked kind of cool like that.

Callum admired his handiwork with a pleased grin, glancing to Janai for approval. She returned his smile with a polite nod.

“You know,” She chuckled. “In Sunfire tradition, if you were to present such a weapon to your love, it would be considered a wedding proposal.”

Callum gawked, mortified. “I-I-! That’s not what I-!” He burst into nervous laughter. “I’m only fifteen, and we haven’t really been dating all that long- I mean, I-I’d like to marry her _eventually_ , m-maybe-”

“Relax, child.” Janai steadied him with a strong hand to his shoulder. “I know.”

\---

He was lucky that Rayla was still busy baking as he slunk up to their room, hiding the present he had wrapped in fabric under their bed. He wasn’t lucky however, when he did eventually bump into her and she immediately noticed his hands.

“I uh, fell in a thorn bush while getting firewood. It’s no big deal.”

Rayla glanced up at him concerned then sighed, clicking her tongue. “Tch… alright come on, I’ll help patch you up…”

If she didn’t seem suspicious at first, he could see it in her eyes as she gently cleaned and dressed his cuts. She was analysing them, her brow knit together in concentration. Part of him hoped she wouldn’t bring it up, but alas fate turned her smile from him in that moment.

“Callum you said you fell into a thorn bush.” She pointed out.

“U-Uh. Yeah?”

She frowned, not meeting his eye, but brought his hands a little closer to her face. “These don’t look like thorn wounds. They look like they were made with a knife or something.”

“Do they?” His voice betrayed him, cracking under the pressure. “Haha, that’s weird. Because I _definitely_ fell into a thorn bush.”

Her eyes flickered up to his own. She could tell he was lying. She knew him too well. For a worrying moment he thought she would press him further, but she didn’t, her eyes softening. “Well whatever happened, this should take care of it.” She kissed his bandaged hands tenderly. “Try to be more careful.”

“I will.”

She ran her thumbs gently over the backs of his fingers, her gaze lingering a moment longer, perhaps a touch too long for him to resist a little peck on the lips. She was smiling when they parted, and the tension in his heart dissipated.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to try something else for Frostival, but I don’t exactly know how well it’ll go with your hands wrapped in bandages now.”

“Oh?”

“Well, we have a lot of fabric left over from decorating, since Lujanne showed up and all. I thought we could uh… we could make a fableplaide. If you want.”

“A fableplaide?”

“It’s like a blanket,” She explained. “Or a quilt. I guess it’s sort of like another Frostival couple tradition? Runaan and Ethari had one back in Silvergrove. It’s a blanket you sew together and it has patterns and patches on it, right? Patches that tell your story. Of things you’ve faced together, important events you’ve gone through… things like that. And you add to it with each year, the new things that happened. The longer two people have been together, the more intricate and detailed their blankets become.” She smiled fondly. “I helped Runaan and Ethari each year with theirs once they started taking care of me. It was always pretty fun.”

“That sounds… amazing. Rayla, I would love to make a fableblade with you.”

“Fable _plaide_.”

“Fableplaide.”

She smiled as she rose to her feet. “Alright. You wait here, I’ll go grab what we need.”

It wasn’t long before she returned, arms full with bundles of fabric, some yards of it trailing behind her merrily. She was peeking over the top at him with a little grin, before she dumped it all unceremoniously on his lap.

“Are you any good at sewing?”

“I would say I am about average at sewing. One of the few things I’m not terrible at.”

She huffed at him as she sat down, pulling a piece of material up and over his head playfully. “You’re not terrible at _a lot_ of things, Mr Artsy Mage. Stop talking badly about yourself.”

He smiled, chuckling as he pulled himself free of the fabric. “Alright then… how do we go about doing this?”

Creating the base of the quilt was simple, and though Callum’s stitch work wasn’t quite as neat as Rayla’s he was proud of it nonetheless. Not bad, for someone whose finger movements were restricted by bandages.

Seeing Rayla so happy and relaxed was worth it all, he decided. To be able to make her smile like this, it filled him with a joy unlike any he had ever felt before meeting her. He wasn’t sure at what point Rayla had cuddled up to him as she worked, it was as natural and unconscious to them as breathing now, but they worked together in perfect harmony as it took shape.

Making the patches was far fiddlier, Callum found, but he was in his element designing them. Perhaps they hadn’t been together very long, but they had already had their fair share of adventures and trials together. It was probably already going to have so much on it, and it was only their first year.

Their first.

Callum paused his sewing for a moment, letting the thought sink in. This was the beginning, he realised, he _hoped_ , of many more years to come. One day, their fableplaide would have so many stories covering it, stories they could share with new friends and family. He glimpsed up at her as she worked patiently, weaving a little fabric Zym pattern onto the blanket.

_‘Gods… I really hope I get to spend the rest of my life with you.’_

“What’s with that goofy little look?” She had caught him staring, her lips curved into a small smile. “You’re thinking of something really sappy, aren’t you?”

“…I-”

“Oooh, are you making a fableplaide?” Lujanne chimed as she entered from the kitchen, little Phoe-Phoe on her shoulder. The Moon mage waltzed over gracefully to sit on the sofa beside them. “Ahh, yes, I remember my first fableplaide… and my second.” Her nose wrinkled awkwardly. “And… my third. Hm, well, fourth times the charm, I suppose. How much have you done? Have you put meeting me on it? I would consider that pretty significant in your journey…”

Lujanne beguiled the pair with stories from her own fableplaide from years far gone for several hours.

Neither of them minded too much though.

\---

The day of Frostival Eve came around swiftly, time had flown by over the week of preparations and it was upon them before anyone really realised it. After Soren, Ezran and Rayla had had their fun contributing to the feast the previous day, Corvus had spent the rest of the evening with Gren in the kitchen, cooking up a variety of confectionary delights, supervised periodically by Lujanne and Rayla to assure authenticity.

But in the morning, neither of the Moonshadow elves were to be found. Callum had woken up to empty arms, Rayla having slipped away in his sleep, and he searched around for her to no avail. No one had seen her, and it wasn’t until he asked Janai that he realised why.

“It’s a tradition Lujanne was talking about yesterday. Apparently it is bad luck to see the performers for the dance beforehand.” Phoe-Phoe rested on Janai’s shoulder, the queen reaching up to give her a little scratch on the cheek. “She asked me to care for her little bird until then.”

Well that was a relief. At least she hadn’t wandered off for a walk in the night and not returned, or something worrying like that.

So for the morning at least, Callum busied himself with odd jobs helping people set up outside. Soren and Corvus were pulling out the dining room table with some difficulty;

“To the right, Soren. No, _my_ right. That’s still not-”

“Look you need to be more specific.”

“How do you be more specific than _‘right’_ , Soren?”

But they managed eventually, pulling out the fanciest tablecloth in the lodge for such an occasion. Ezran eyed the buffet table eagerly, Bait wriggling in his arms, his little nubby paws reaching out for it with a sad little grumble. Ezran gave his head a sympathetic little scratch.

“Not yet, Bait. We gotta wait until after the dance. Then we can gorge ourselves on as many jelly tarts as you want.” Bait glowed with a brilliant, excited warmth in response.

Callum couldn’t deny the excitement stirring in his heart with every minute that drew nearer to the dance. Moonshadow elves were all about dancing, it was such a big part of their culture, and he couldn’t wait to see more of it. He had had so much fun over the past week, and felt so honoured to be a part of it all. Looking around the Banther Lodge, it really did feel like a collision of two worlds. Elves and humans, closer together than ever before.

It was almost time. Everyone could feel it, the excitement thrumming in the air as everyone gathered close to the bonfire that had been set for the evening. There were even murmurs of excitement among the guards, waiting and wondering in awe over what was about to unfurl.

It started with a bang that stunned everyone into silence, a small silver cloud of smoke arising in front of the crowd. Two silhouettes stood as still as statues in the mist, woodwind music humming quietly, magically around them before stopping. Callum’s breath caught in his throat as they appeared. Both Lujanne and Rayla were dressed in long flowing garments so bright and colourful and _vibrant_ against the starkness of the snow, ribbon like decorations and bangles around their horns. Short, warm looking shoulder cloaks too protected them somewhat from the chill, fluttering slightly in a breeze that had picked up as the mist dispersed.

They both looked beautiful. Of course, Callum thought Rayla _always_ looked beautiful. Even just after waking up with her hair in a tangle and eyes glazed and half focused, she was most beautiful thing in the world to him. But Lujanne, there was a graceful splendour to her too, and a smile on her face that made her look a good twenty years younger. Though Rayla didn’t move, he caught her eye for perhaps half a second as she looked his way, then her smiling lips curved a little more. The pair stood opposite each other, ribbons in hands, waiting.

Still.

The music started up again suddenly, and in sync Rayla and Lujanne began to move, stepping like the dance was a part of their very soul, so engraved in their minds. They met in the middle, then twirled together, the ribbons spinning up and around them briefly, before flittering back down around their ankles. Out and around, the ribbons curled, as the pair continued their movements with such grace and charm. Callum was mesmerised, the whole crowd was.

They were part of the music now, and it was part of them.

It was all spiralling footwork at first, twirling and spinning around each other, the ribbons and extension of them. But slowly, the music picked up and to Callum’s surprise he watched both Rayla and Lujanne’s feet leave the floor in graceful arcing leaps. The ribbons were like wings, and as they pranced about Callum could have sworn they could fly at that very moment.

The ribbons shimmered beautifully, sparkling as they reflected the sunlight, and scattering little rainbow beams against the snow. Callum couldn’t look away for even a second for fear of missing it, trying desperately to commit every single detail to memory.

The streamers looked like a tempest now, a hurricane of colour as they twisted around each other, and Callum couldn’t help but be reminded of the colourful storm that had emerged from his primal stone when he smashed it to save Zym.

At one point as she twirled, her cloak trailing beautifully around her, Rayla caught Callum’s eye and she gave him a wider smile, and Callum felt an overjoyed, proud smile of his own paint his face. It must have stayed for a while longer than he intended, because he felt Ezran give him a gentle elbow in the arm and a little knowing smile.

“You know,” Ezran whispered. “It’s pretty amazing that neither of them are slipping about in the snow. You’d think that they’ve done this a hundred times before!”

Ez was right, considering the conditions, it was a wonder neither of them had slipped up even once, the more they danced about, the more compact the snow was getting. He even felt a twinge of fear for their safety, especially Lujanne, the last thing anyone wanted was for their poor guest to throw out her hip or break her ankle. And yet she kept up with Rayla in ways Callum didn’t think were possible.

The music swelled into a crescendo, the performance coming to a dramatic end. Finally it seemed Rayla’s turn to really shine, doing something that even Lujanne it would appear couldn’t. She sprinted towards her partner who readied herself, and Rayla’s foot found Lujanne’s hands, the woman boosting Rayla up into the air as she did a flip. The streamers twirled strikingly as she did, the crowd erupting into awed ‘ _ooh_ ’s, then the girl landed perfectly, arms out dramatically.

Everyone erupted into applause, and Callum broke free of the crowd, jogging over to his girlfriend, his amazing, _incredible_ girlfriend. Rayla turned towards him, panting and a bit dazed, and he threw his arms around her, but unexpectedly his momentum kept him going and they both slipped, collapsing into the snow in a fit of laughter. She was breathless, her arms curling around him loosely, and her voice cracked a little when she spoke, trying to catch her breath.

“Hey.”

“…Hey.” He was about to say more, tell her how unbelievable she was, or perhaps kiss her, he hadn’t made up his mind yet, when he was crashed into from behind by an overjoyed Ezran and Bait. His brother wrapped his arms around them both, Bait crawling onto Rayla’s lap with a surprisingly less grumpy than usual look on his face. 

“Rayla! That was amazing!”

“Oh, you think?” She grinned, ruffling Ezran’s hair gently and squeezing them all.

The trio were wrapped around each other giggling for a few dear seconds before they felt a figure looming overhead. Lujanne stood over them, clearly pretending to be rather put out by the display of affection.

“What, no congratulatory hugs for Lujanne?” She mock pouted. Ez grinned, pulling himself up from the pile and he wrapped his arms around the mage’s waist. Her face instantly melted. “Aw. Thank you, Ezran.”

Once the excitement had settled and after several polite congratulations from everyone, Lujanne, with Rayla by her side, hushed the crowds courteously. Everyone gave her their undivided attention, sensing a rousing speech was about to occur.

“Uh, hello, everyone,” She started, almost a bit awkwardly. “I just wanted to say a big thank you for inviting me out here to be with you all. This is the first Frostival I’ve shared among friends, _real_ friends in many, many, many years. And I think I speak for myself _and_ Rayla here when I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done for us.” There was a twinkle in her eye now. “The world is ushering in a new era of peace, trust, and love. I have so much hope for the future now, that we won’t need to live separated by our fears any longer. And this has only proved that. We as a people… we belong together.” Callum caught Rayla’s eye again and she gave him an emotional grin of her own.

‘ _Yeah. Yeah we do belong together._ ’ Was what she was saying with that look.

“Sharing our cultures, sharing our lives, I feel this was the way things were always meant to be. And for you to put in so much effort and accept it into your lives, even if only briefly, means more than you will ever know. So thank you, thank you all! And with that, I should welcome in today’s buffet before young Ezran chews his arm off in anticipation…!”

Rayla was by the table when Callum found her again, clearly caught in a conflict with herself as she couldn’t decide what to go for first. She was perfectly distracted, enough that she didn’t notice him sneak behind her and he slipped his arms quickly around her, pulling her into his embrace.

She gasped in alarm just as Callum pecked her affectionately on the tip of her ear, then relaxed when she realised who it was.

“Oh, hello again, Prince Charming.”

“Hello, m’dearest.” He swayed her so gently in his arms and she let him, melting quite happily against his chest, her hands coming to rest over his own. “You were incredible.”

“Naturally.” She beamed.

“Are you sure you’re not connected to the Sky Arcanum?” He mumbled, smiling against her cheek. “I was sure you had wings for a moment in that performance.” She laughed squeezing his hands, and he nuzzled her with his nose grinning. “A beautiful, beautiful Lunar dove.”

“Shut up.” She grumbled but she was smiling wider now. “You big goofball.”

The banquet went down a treat with everyone involved, though Ezran was disappointed to find not all of it was for them.

“I’m sorry Ez, but we have to save some of it for the bonfire.” Rayla smiled sympathetically.

“The bonfire?”

“Yeah, remember how I said we have to burn an offering?”

Ezran’s eyes brimmed with sadness. “Well that just seems like a waste of perfectly good food to me…”

Callum was inclined to agree, but if this was a big part of Frostival, then so be it. When evening came, the bonfire was lit, with some difficulty at first, crackling into life just as another small fluttering of snow began.

Everyone took it in turns to throw a little something onto the fire, be it cake, pudding, but before Callum could offer up a jelly tart of his own, Rayla’s hand found his wrist. She gave him a small smile.

“Hey. Make a wish for the coming year. Maybe Garlath will hear you.”

Callum didn’t have to think too much about he wanted. The previous summer had been one of loss and pain for a lot of people. He wished that this next year brought his loved ones better fortune.

It was no wonder that night when Rayla was out like a light almost immediately after her head hit the pillow. Callum had managed to convince her to take a break from her training while at the lodge, and so giving such an acrobatic performance after a lull in her activity, it was probably exhausting.

He waited for a few minutes, just to be sure that she was asleep, before untangling himself carefully from her arms to slip out of bed.

“Whhngh….” He froze, watching her face screw up as she buried it more in her pillow. Then her hand searched the space he had vacated, and her eyes cracked open, confused. “Callum…?”

He crouched by the bed, smiling reassuringly back at her, as he tenderly brushed the hair out of her face. “Hey…” He whispered. “It’s alright.”

She reached up to take his hand, eyes barely open, clinging to consciousness, and held it loosely, her thumb brushing over his knuckles. “What’re you doing…? Where’re you going…?” She slurred quietly.

He leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay. I’m just uh… going to the bathroom. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

She hummed softly, closing her eyes. “…Alright.” Her fingers gently slipped through his own and she sighed sleepily, drifting off once more.

He gave it a few seconds before he exhaled in relief, and searched for the antler-knife under the bed.

Creeping through the Lodge in the dead of night was honestly a lot tenser than he had expected. It felt like every step he took sent the loudest creek through the house, and he held his breath, hoping to the gods he wouldn’t wake anyone up.

Perhaps Lady Luck was smiling down on him, that he was able to get down the stairs and to the living room undetected.

He slipped over to where everyone had left their shoes, hesitating for a moment, and steeling himself with a deep breath.

“Garlath, if you’re listening… lend me your coolness. Please work. Please make Rayla happy. And _please_ don’t drip blood on the rugs if you do show up.” He slipped the antler, still wrapped in cloth gently into her boot, then slunk carefully back up the stairs and to their room.

Neither Ezran nor Rayla stirred when he returned, at least not until he sat back on the mattress and Rayla instinctively wrapped her arms back around his waist. He smiled, pulling his legs up and lay facing her, tugging her close to him, and she buried her face contently in his shoulder, letting out a happy little rumbly sigh.

He combed his fingers gently through her hair, resting his forehead against the base of her horn. “…I love you, Rayla.”

\---

Rayla woke first on Frostival morning, Callum still fast asleep and drooling in her arms. _On_ her arm.

_Gross._

She pulled away slowly and carefully, and peeked over him at Ezran’s bed. It was neatly made and empty, he must have already gotten up. She would have to clamber over the sleeping prince beside her to get up herself though. She did so as carefully as she could, managing not to wake him, then puttered down stairs sleepily in her pyjamas.

Ezran and Soren were waiting for her with warm smiles and warmer mugs of hot chocolate.

“Morning Rayla!” Ezran chimed. “Happy Frostival!”

“Ah, yes, a happy Frostival to you too!” She flopped next to him, an arm around the young king, and they sat chatting for some time before- 

_Pap, pap, pap, pap, pap._

Came the thumping of feet running down the stairs. The next thing Rayla knew, Callum was standing in the doorframe, still in his pyjamas, his hair a wild state.

“Rayla!” He cried out and she stared at him curiously. He was eying her up squinting and then his eyes widened as they locked onto the braid still at her cheek. His face split into an overjoyed grin, and it was then she realised why.

Her braid had lasted, and so had his.

She had barely gotten to her feet as he ran over and collided with her, his arms wrapping around her ribs. Then he lifted, Rayla’s feet leaving the floor as she let loose a little surprised squeak, and he spun her gleefully, laughing. Ezran watched amused from the sofa.

“Wow someone woke up in a good mood.” He smirked taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Yeah,” Rayla laughed. “Clearly.”

Callum beamed up at her, not yet letting her feet graze the floor again. “Your braid stayed in!”

“Yes. It did. And so did yours from the look of it!”

“Well then, it’s official. The universe approves. Guess we’ll be together forever now.”

“Like I ever had any doubt.”

“Ugh, it’s too early in the morning for me to watch you two being all gross and schmaltzy.” Soren groaned, standing with his own beverage, deciding clearly he would rather be _anywhere_ else.

Finally Callum let her down, pecking her gently on the lips with a giddy smile. “Hey, did you check your boots for gifts from Garlath yet?”

“Huh? Oh! No, I haven’t. I mean, there’s probably not much point in it this year but…” She trailed off. There was a loving warmth in his eyes.

“…Go see.” He replied, his voice soft.

It wasn’t hard to notice that something was sticking out of the top of her boot, and Rayla’s heart did an excited little flutter, the kind it had done every year since she had been a child. She looked back at him, and he gave her a little reassuring smile, flopping down next to his brother.

She turned, taking the strange lumpy clothed object from her shoe and brought it over to the others, taking a seat next to her boyfriend.

“How did you know there was something in my shoe?”

“I didn’t. I just… assumed.” He smiled. “I mean Garlath would be pretty dumb not to make his way here to deliver something to the hero of all of Xadia, wouldn’t he?”

A little lump of emotion caught in her throat and she tried to disguise it with a chuckle. She unwrapped it with delicate care and a little gasp escaped her lips.

“Oh… it’s beautiful…”

She looked up to gauge Ezran and Callum’s reactions, the boys both curious. Though Callum seemed less curious of the knife and more of her, his eyes twinkling happily.

“You think?” He asked proudly, almost as though he had crafted it himself.

…Wait.

She glanced between his face, and the knife. The closer she looked, the more she realised. The little patterns, they were close to Moonshadow symbols, but not quite, slightly off, slightly too untidy. It wasn’t like any other gift she had received before on Frostival morning. It was beautiful, but _clumsily_ beautiful. Like Callum. Perfectly, clumsily beautiful, like Callum.

The cut up hands made perfect sense now.

“Callum, did you make this?”

He looked caught out now, cornered and sheepish. She’d caught him out, if anything this only cemented this as fact. “No, it’s from Garlath. Obviously.”

“Oh yeah. _Obviously_.” She smirked. “You can tell here, by the patterning.”

“Oh, that’s actually accurate? Uh- I-I mean, yes. Yeah. Of course. Cool.”

She laughed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Garlath.”

“Well I’m most certainly _not_ Garlath but I’m sure he would say ‘ _You’re welcome’_.” He grinned back, fingers tracing his cheek.

Ezran had been quietly admiring the dagger, running his fingers carefully along the carvings.

“Hey, Rayla, you have your own native language, right?” He finally piped up, a glint in his eyes.

This was common knowledge now to the others. It had been since the day Ezran had caught her muttering in her tongue to herself about losing a bet with Soren. “Yeah. I do.”

“Can you teach us how to say ‘Happy Frostival’ in Moonshadow?”

Rayla stared at Ezran in surprise, then a grin split across her face. Surrounded by her friends, no, her _family_ , She had never felt such warmth, love and acceptance. She rested the dagger on her lap, wrapping an arm around each of them.

“It’s… It’s _‘Fèisreothadh Chridheil’.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3 I hope you enjoyed it, dont forget to leave a kudos, bookmark, comment, all those good things. A late Merry Christmas to you all! <3 I hope 2020 brings you all what you're looking for! 
> 
> \- Dee


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